Michael Kors kicked off the final day of New York Fashion Week “Sunny Side Up” on Wednesday with A-listers Nicole Kidman and Catherine Zeta-Jones front row for a happy collection inspired by the beach.
The 59-year-old designer created a set of bright, colorful art panels by Australian-born, Brooklyn-based artist Christina Zimpel that evoked the Caribbean or Mediterranean, a stark contrast to misty views of the Brooklyn Bridge through the windows of New York’s sprawling Pier17.
“Global getaway,” “Sunny Side Up” and “From me to you — spread the joy” was how the billionaire Kors summed up the upbeat celebration of color that is bang on the happiness trend for spring 2019.
The catwalk was a riot of print and color, from turquoise to watermelon, persimmon and lemon, to floppy floral hats, a fringed lime green skirt and metallic green pant suit with matching bag.
Pants came in all styles, but most striking were floral and broderie anglaise flares with enormous bell bottoms. For evening, dresses were cut for the beach but designed for soiree in metallics.
Kors put fringes on jackets, skirts, pants and shoulder bags, a trend this season also on display at Longchamp and Coach.
The Rastafarian look made an appearance, as did pale denim, chunky beach bags, and huge platform sandals, with Kors staying true to his recent M.O of including curve models on the runway.
Joining Zeta-Jones on the front row was 15-year-old daughter Carys, who is reportedly keen to follow parents — dad is Michael Douglas — into the acting business.
The soundtrack was beach-baresque with Peter Allen singing “I go to Rio,” The Beach Boys singing “Good Vibrations” and snatches of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin with “Je t’aime… moi non plus.”
Still to come Wednesday is Marc Jacobs, the darling of American high fashion, before Barbadian superstar Rihanna closes out the week with a Savage x Fenty bash to baptize her brand-new lingerie line.
The spring 2019 season will then shift to Europe, with fashion weeks to follow in London, Milan and Paris. AB
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